Hard Negotiating Yields Complete Dismissal of All Claims Against the Firm’s Casino Client

A litigation team, led by George “Chip” Godfrey, secured a no-pay settlement and full dismissal of all claims against Yankwitt LLP’s casino client in a recent premises liability matter. YLLP used aggressive early positioning and stood firm and the negotiation table leading to this highly favorable outcome.

The lawsuit stemmed from an incident involving a hotel guest, who alleged injuries after a pane of glass shattered and struck her as she walked near the property. The glass had dislodged during a window installation being performed by a third-party contractor.

The plaintiff claimed lacerations and a neck injury, though incident reports and aggressive discovery convinced plaintiff’s counsel that the contact was limited and unlikely to have caused the full extent of injuries alleged. From the outset, we argued that liability rested solely with the contractor, who was responsible for both the installation and the integrity of the window.

Despite the plaintiff’s counsel’s attempt to assemble a global resolution, Chip made clear our client would not participate in any contribution. The co-defendant ultimately agreed to pay the entire settlement amount with the plaintiff then voluntarily dismissing all claims against our client – a complete victory.